'Foxcatcher' Gets Philadelphia Premiere

(From L) Director Bennett Miller, Nancy Schultz and Anthony Michael Hall at the red carpet premiere of "Foxcatcher" at the Prince Music Theater.

It was a red carpet affair for the Philadelphia premiere of the film “Foxcatcher” Monday night.

The Prince Music Theater hosted the premiere of the award-winning film, with director Bennett Miller and star Anthony Michael Hall in attendance.

Set primarily in Delaware County, “Foxcatcher” is the story of millionaire John du Pont, played by Steve Carell, and his relationships with Olympic wrestling athletes Mark (Channing Tatum) and Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo) as they prepare for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games on du Pont’s Newtown Square estate.

The triangular story of power turned fatal when du Pont shot and killed Dave at his house on the estate on Jan. 26, 1996. Du Pont was convicted of third degree murder but mentally ill, and died in prison in 2010.

“This whole adventure began about eight years ago when a stranger approached me at an event in a store and handed me an envelope that contained newspaper clippings I was, somehow, not familiar with. Immediately I knew I was going to make this film,” said Miller at the premiere.

Delco-Based 'Foxcatcher' Wins Big at Cannes Film Festival

Bennett Miller holds up his best director scroll after Saturday's closing ceremony in Cannes. (Reuters)

An upcoming film about the relationship and subsequent murder of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz by millionaire John du Pont on his 400-acre Delco estate earned a top prize Saturday evening at the closing of the Cannes Film Festival.

Director Bennett Miller won the prix de la mise en scène (best director) for his film “Foxcatcher,” a new drama starring Steve Carell as du Pont set at the millionaire’s Newtown Square estate Foxcatcher Farm, where du Pont shot and killed Schultz on Jan. 26, 1996. This led to a standoff with police that lasted two days.

Miller was feted with the award by a jury headed by New Zealand writer/director Jane Campion, with Sofia Coppola, Willem Dafoe and Gael Garcia Bernal serving on the nine-member jury. Cannes is noted for being the premier film festival in the world.

“Foxcatcher” is scheduled to be released in the U.S. on November 14.